Beauty and the Beasts
by Organic-Fruit
Summary: A family close to Hotch is victimized, and he nearly loses it when his GodDaughter is kidnapped. Will the team be able to save Rekaiah before it's too late, or will she become another fatality? And can Aaron protect his sanity and stay strong for her?
1. Prologue

**May 9th, 2009****  
****Delaware, Ohio**

Aaron Hotchner pulled into the long driveway of the 3 floor, victorian style home. It had been awhile since he'd been here last. He studied it, remembering.  
At the beginning of the driveway was a black steel gate, about 8 feet high. The driveway itself was slightly slanted. It was curvy, but smooth, and it was surrounded by the large front yard, which was complete with an 18-foot tree with a tire swing, and the grass was green, fresh, and healthy. The driveway led up to the beautiful, one-of-a-kind home. It had 3 floors, but only clearly reavealed two. The third was only seen with small windows at the very top of the house. The main entrance, to the main floor, of course, was blocked on pavement. There were 4 steps leading to the door, and a front porch. It wasn't large, but it was big enough. The house was built at a bunch of different angles, and shapes of triangles, squares, and cylinders, and had a countless number of windows at every angle. The roof was a light gray that matched the snow white colour of the tiled house, and the red brick chimney.  
_"This"_, Aaron thought, opinionated, "_Is by far one of the best houses in the state of Ohio"_. He checked his watch_. "10:00 am. Just in time"_.  
The house belonged to James Benson and his family of 5. James was a very successful rich and famous lawyer with 3 kids and a wife, who once went to college and worked with Aaron, before he was promoted to the BAU. James was a second promoted worker, but he turned down the profiling job to be able to come home to his family every night. Unlike Hotch - and he knew it - Benson was not as much of a workaholic.

Aaron grabbed the small box from the passanger seat. It was wrapped with light purple wrapping paper, and topped with a bright pink bow. Aaron thought it was tacky, but she was a kid. With her bubbly personality, she'd make fun out of it. Nervous, yet excited, Aaron stepped out of his car with the gift and walked up the 4 steps. The front porch held a rocking chair, and a light pink two-wheel bike with a small basket on the front. There were books on a small, white wicker endtable beside the rocking chair, and a variety of different magazines that ranged from _House&Home_ to _TeenMagazine_ and _Elite_, as well as a few sports magazines, music magazines, and the daily newspaper, which looked like it had already been read this morning. The entrance door was double wide, and wood. They were heavy and darker than the pillars that held up the top balcony, but didn't clash. The pillars were smaller white pillars, that looked like replicas of the ones that you saw on the White House. On each side of the door were wide opaque windows, from which you couldn't see in or out, but you could still manage to see sillouhettes and shadows of someone standing on the other side. On each of the doors was a horseshoe knocker, but they were never used, and on the right side of the doors was a doorbell plastered into the white pavement wall. Aaron pushed the button, and it rang. The sound almost reminded him of church bells chiming.  
From inside, the family of five were still decorating. There were hellium balloons hanging from every rim and every bar on the staircase, hanging from every wall. There were streamers floating down from every corner of the ceiling, floating there like little rainbow raindrops that failed to hit the floor. They sparkled in the lightstream, and they made everyone smile at the house of magic colours.  
Rekaiah, practically prancing, ran into the entrance room and answered the door. Looking up at Aaron, she smiled.  
"Hey kiddo!" Aaron smiled an enthusiastic, rare smile. One of those smiles that proved he was human. One of those smiles that his team never saw.  
"Aaron!" She nearly jumped into his arms as she gave him a big hug. Aaron laughed a little, and the smile was stained on his face.  
Rekaiah Benson was the oldest daughter and middle child of Julia and Jamison Benson. A petit brunette, who today was wearing a light pink quarter sleeved pullover shirt, overtop of a navy blue, white polka-dotted tanktop, and white denim kapri pants. She had her semi-short hair pulled back into a simple ponytail, and she wore very mild makeup, a light coat of lipgloss, and braces.  
"How are you?" He asked, happily.  
"I'm doing awesome, thank you! Come in!..." Aaron walked inside and hung up his jacket on the coat hanger on the left side of the door.  
Today, he went almost simple. He wore light blue denim jeans and a white and red pinstriped button up dress shirt, that he did not tuck into his pants, but rolled up the sleeves.  
"We have alot to catch up on! You haven't been here since, like, Christmas?"  
"Six months ago, yeah. What is it today? May... 9th?"  
Rekaiah knew where he was going with this. She smiled big again. "Yeah"  
"Aw, you're too big for this trick. But I loved that you played along." She giggled at his comment. "This is for you." He handed her the wrapped present that he pulled from the car.  
"Oh, Aaron you didn't have to get me anything"  
"Happy birthday"  
"Thanks." Still clinging on to the small box, Rekaiah led him into the family room. "Come on, everyone is in here" Aaron followed her. Once in the family room, Rekaiah placed the small box on an endtable, along with a few other larger boxes. "Daddy," She said sweetly, "Aaron's here"  
"Aaron!"  
"James!"  
"How's it going, man?" For a lawyer, he sure didn't talk like one. He was mature and polite, but not too proper.  
Jamison Benson was 40 years old. He was as tall as Aaron, with a full head of chestnut brown hair, a clean shaven face, and dark green eyes. His face, a little fuller than Aaron's, showed signs of high cheekbones, and a bright smile. It wasn't hard to see where Rekaiah got her looks from. She was a beautiful young girl, who took after her father, and looked more like him than anyone else.  
They shook hands, which eventually turned into a friendly man hug.  
"Jules!"  
Julia was the mother. A vibrant, 37 year old dark-redhead with light eyes. She smiled at Aaron as he greeted her with a peck on the cheek and a short-lived hug. "Hello Aaron".  
"Where are the other two?" Aaron asked, happy still.  
"Kestlyn! Trayven!" Rekaiah yelled from the beam on the staircase.  
"Hey, Riki! Do not yell. Go and look for them" James calmy scolded.  
"Alright" Sighing, Rekaiah ran up the stairs to her sibling's bedrooms.  
"She's getting so big." Aaron contemplated. And for a moment, Julia and James joined in.  
"Tell me about it. I remember being pregnant with her, and giving birth this very day 15 years ago." "That premature birth scared us to death." James' sentance described why Rekaiah was so small for her age - she weighed in at 109 pounds, and was just under five feet, at only 4'10. His comment was also something that if, Rekaiah had heard, she would roll her eyes at. She never thought that it was a big deal, but her parents begged to differ. "I remember, I was there... So, Trayven, he's 17 now. Graduates this year, right?"  
"That's right. And after graduation he's off to Julliard."  
"Julliard, wow. Nice school..." Aaron was not surprised. All of the children were gifted. Trayven played guitar and sang. He was into music. Kestlyn was a dancer with passion, and had serious potential for a career in performing arts, and Rekaiah was a writer. A good one. But everyone thought that she was going to follow in her father's footsteps.  
"And Kestlyn, she's 11?" He continued.  
"Our baby." Julia spoke gently and quietly.  
"I still can't believe Riki is 15 today."  
"She have a boyfriend yet?" Aaron asked, half jokingly.  
"She'd better not" James joked. Aaron laughed. "Ah, there they come now"  
Prancing down the stairs, first came Kestlyn, Rekaiah following, and Trayven as the caboose.  
"Hey Hotch!" Kestlyn sang, giving him a hug.  
"Hey sweetheart!... Trayven!" Trayven smiled, and shook Aaron's hand.  
Trayven stood tall at about 5 foot 9. He had dyed black hair, bangs slicked to one side, and big dark blue eyes. His sence of style was one that stood out, wearing a long-sleeved black and white, horizontially striped sweatshirt, and baggy dark blue jeans. On his feet were white canvas shoes, plastered with pictures of black skulls and guitars. "_Strange mix"_, Aaron thought, "_yet interesting"_. He wore bangle bracelets on his left wrist, he noticed, as he shook his hand. He had a perfect smile, and small dimples in his cheeks. Handsome young man.  
Kestlyn was the typical 11 year old girl. She wore a long black t-shirt that reached below her waist, with small multi-neon-coloured hearts on the front, with which she wore a jean skirt that ended just above her knees, that flaired at the bottom about 3 inches up. Her red-brownish hair was in pig-tails, tied with little ribbons. They floated on either side of her head, just above her ears, and dangled just below her shoulders. Kestlyn too had dark blue eyes.  
"Aaron," Rekaiah asked, politely, "If you don't mind me asking, how long are you planning on staying in Ohio?"  
"Well I have the weekend, but I have to be back in D.C by Sunday night. I just thought that since I was in Delaware, I'd drop in and say hi. And of course, to wish you a happy birthday" They exchanged smiles.  
"Well, Aaron. We have a spare bedroom, if you'd like you could stay with us for a few days" Julia graciously offered. Aaron accepted.

For the rest of the day, it was all about Rekaiah. Today was her day. They watched her open her presents, and it made Aaron feel delighted that she loved the gold necklace that he bought her the day before. The gold necklace that his team had teased him about, thinking that he was buying it for a girlfriend. She had put it on after giving him another big hug and never took it off. Trayven wrote her a beautiful song that made her cry, and topped it with a big loving hug and a kiss on the head, and Kestlyn bought her a bracelet, which coinsidently, matched Aaron's necklace. From her parents, a digital camera and a new iPod. She started snapping pictures immediately, and begged for music but was told to wait. Then there was a large dinner - some of the best food Aaron had tasted in a long time. It was food that reminded him of the family get-togethers when he was still with Haley, and tasted far better than Kraft Dinner and microwaved lunches. There was an icecream cake from DairyQueen with candles, and party hats that made everyone laugh. Kestlyn especially, when Aaron shrunk back into child-mode and was being silly with it, pretending that it was his nose and making funny noises, putting it on the corner of his head and making funny faces. Stuff that made him feel like he was 10 years old again. When it was all over, Aaron realized that he hadn't had so much fun and felt so much love in a really long time, and he realized how much he missed it, and how good it felt.  
For the last few hours of the night, there was visiting infront of the gas fireplace. They talked breifly about Aaron's divorce, and they asked about Jack - who was growing up so fast but doing well. They talked about work and school and life, and books and movies they recently saw. Then the kids were all finally sent to bed around 10:30, and eventually Julia, James, and Aaron decided to call it a night, too.

As Aaron lay in his bed in the slightly high-maintenence guest bedroom, he couldn't help but study the family. He compared them to the family of the case he had finished less than 40 hours ago, and he compared them to his own. He envied them. He envied James for being so close to his wife and his children. Aaron loved Jack, but maybe he took their relationship for granted? He tried, and he knew that he was a good father, but would Jack ever look up to him the way Kaia looked up to James? He thought about why Julia and James were such great parents. Their children were well brought up - They didn't curse, they dressed appropriately, they were polite and had extreme table manners. The girls were beautiful, and Trayven was a very good looking boy. Was it the private prep school that trained them on etiquite? Was it James' job? Was it because he was a lawyer that these kids knew so well? Whatever it was, he was too exhausted from the case and from driving, that he fell asleep with unanswered questions bubbling in his head. He closed his eyes, and without realization, he drifted away.

The two-day visit Aaron and the Benson family had cherished had gone by too fast. It was Sunday, and he had to catch a midday flight back to DC. They said their goodbyes, and Aaron got in the car and drove away.  
That was the last that he had heard from them for three weeks.


	2. Bad News, Bad Response

**June 3, 2009****  
****Quantico, Virginia**

JJ was in her office digging through random files when her phone rang. She answered it, and responded confidently with, "Behavioural Analysis Unit, Jennifer Jareau speaking". The conversation continued, and slowly JJ's confidence began to fade. "Again?... Sir, with all due respect, we were just there, we closed the case, we caught our UnSub. There is no chance that this case is connected to the last... Sir, you have to calm down... Did you send the BAU a profile? Pictures of the crime scene?... Oh, you're right. I have them... This is... _brutal_... You're kidding?... Alright. Sir, I can't make any promises, but I will talk to my Supervisor and if my team is interested in this case, I will call you back and let you know, alright?... Thank you." JJ hung up the phone, printed off the photos and descriptions that she needed for a profile, and walked down the hall into Aaron's office. As usual, he was doing paperwork.  
"Working hard? Hard at working?"  
"Same as every other day. What is it JJ?"  
"We have another case."  
"Where?"  
"Delaware, Ohio"  
"We were just there"  
"I know. The police chief just called me and he told me that he thinks this case might be connected to the last 3 families." JJ handed Aaron the folder. "This is horrendous. Sir, I don't think that this case is connected at all, but I still think that we should go back and check it out. We can't ignore something like this."  
Aaron opened the folder, and as he glanced at the family name, his heart sunk. Butterflies formed in his stomach and for a moment he felt panic and fear. Not for himself, but for the Benson's.  
"JJ?"  
"Hotch?"  
"James Benson? The lawyer?"  
"That's why I said it's awful and doesn't match. All of the families that were murdered were middle class, average people. This family is high-maintenence, Jamison Benson is a state-famous lawyer and..."  
"JJ we can't take this case."  
"Hotch?"  
"I know them. I was at this house not three weeks ago."  
"Oh my god. Hotch, I'm so sorry." Sympathy grew inside of her, and as she felt it she wanted to cry. But she took a deep breath and fought away the tears.  
"You know what, you take this case. Bring it to the team, let them know that I wont be on it."  
"Are you going to be okay with this?"  
"Of course. Just, let me look over this okay? Give me a minute."  
"Alright." Concerned, JJ left Aaron alone in his office.  
Looking over the profile, Hotch suddenly felt an overwhelming rush of emotion. Tears formed in his eyes, and for the first time in a very long time, he cried.

He read the profile in disbelief:__

_Evidence of foul play... __  
__Evidence of break and enter... __  
__No fingerprints match in CODUS... __  
__Broken glass... __  
__Stolen jewelry... _

Could this have been a robbery gone wrong?

_  
__Bodies found bound and gagged... __  
__Lined up...__  
__Prosocution style... _

The Autopsy reports.__

_Male... James Christopher Benson... Age 40... COD: Gunshot to the back of the head__  
__Female... Julia Marie Benson... Age 37... COD: Gunshot to the back of the head__  
__Male... Trayven Conner Benson... Age 17... COD: Gunshot to the back of the head__  
__Female... Kestlyn Michelle Benson... Age 11... COD: Gunshot to the back of the head__  
__Female... Rekaiah Grace-Maelyn Benson... Age 15... Missing (30/09/09)_

Anxiously, Aaron snapped up out of his chair and brought the profile with him into JJ's office.  
"JJ!" He nearly yelled  
"Hotch?"  
"Rekaiah Benson. She was only reported missing. Have you had any tips, any hits in AMBER Alerts? Anything?"  
"No, Sir, I haven't, but when I do you will be the first person to know"  
"I want to give the briefing"  
"Whatever you want." JJ knew that Aaron was hurt and angry. She didn't know what he did in his personal life, or the people he knew, but she knew that it was a good thing that he wasn't taking this case, because it definately took a toll.  
Aaron, without confidence, sternly walked into the breifing room.  
"Hotch?" Morgan said, surprised. "JJ said you weren't taking this case"  
"I'm not. I'm only giving the briefing" Aaron said, without making eye contact.  
Every one of the team members were sitting at the round table, except JJ who sat on the desk against the window. They all exchanged a look of _"What's up with him?" _and they were all lost in confusion and concern. They all turned to JJ who they knew had talked to him and who had followed him into the room, but her eyes widened, she raised her eyebrows, and put up her hand as if to say, _"Don't even ask"_ Aaron, with a quick pace, strided over to the projector, snatched the control and put up the pictures.  
"This is the Benson family."  
"Benson. You mean the famous lawyer?" Morgan asked.  
"Yes." Aaron hesitated, clearly just wanting to get the briefing over with. "They were all shot to death 2 nights ago. When the kids didn't show up for school, their private tutor went to check on them and he found this."  
Aaron clicked the button, and on the overhead above them appeared a picture of 4 bodies laying close together on the floor surrounded in blood. Garcia turned away. Morgan grabbed her hand and squeezed it.  
"Lined up oldest to youngest."  
"Prosecution style" David interupted. Aaron looked at him with an offended expression. There was a short silence, and David broke the ice. "James Benson had three children. 2 daughters and a son. Where's his second daughter?"  
"Missing" Still, Aaron sounded pissed off and offended that anyone would question the case.  
Morgan looked at Aaron, knowing that this wasn't like him at all. "Hotch. What's wrong with you, man? Why are you taking this case to heart?"  
Aaron turned to Morgan. Expression the same, only adding a little bit more hurt mixed in. "I went to college with James Benson. I worked with him for nearly 10 years before coming to the BAU. I was his best man when he married Julia, and I was there for the birth of all three of his children. I am their Godfather. When we find Rekaiah,_ I _get to bring her home. _I'm_ the one that gets to explain to her everything that has happened, and what is _going_ to happen to her. You all have to understand that Kaia is very small, and she is vulnerable. She is going to be traumatized if she isn't already... This family means as much to me as Jack and Haley, and until we find our UnSub you are all going to work your asses off, and work harder than ever, and you are going to bring that girl home alive and safe." Hotchner threw down the control, and everyone watched in shame as he stormed out of the room.  
Morgan looked pale, as if he was sorry he had asked the question that set him off. There was another short silence, and Reid cleared his throat, ready to go over the profile with Rossi as temporary Head Supervisor.  
Rossi took a deep breath and was ready to wave off the overwhelming rush of drama. "The plane leaves in 20" he said. And with that, he slowly stretched up out of his seat and left the room.


	3. Say Goodbye

****

Just a quick warning, it gets a little graphically sad, here :/

_**

* * *

**_

_**"Feelings are not supposed to be logical. Dangerous is the man who has rationalized his emotions." ~ David Borenstein**_

**June 1, 2009****  
****Delaware, Ohio**

It was late. There were two boys standing outside - One of them hesitant, the other more confident than ever, ready to break in.  
The scared one was smaller. He had red hair and brown eyes. On his nose were light freckles. The braver one had dirty blonde hair and bright blue eyes. He had dimples on his cheeks and was clean shaven. They both wore black sweatshirts and jogging pants, and they kept their voices to a whisper.  
"I can't do it"  
"STOP, being such a baby. Nothing is going to happen, alright? We go in and we take the girl. Maybe snatch up a few items worth some gold.... I ain't losing this one, bro. This is my girl. I gotta take her away"  
With one blow of the metal baseball bat, the livingroom window smashed and glass shattered.

Rekaiah lay in her bed. The sound of the shattering window downstairs woke her up. A glance at her alarm clock on her end table said 3:00 am. Still half asleep, she walked down the hall. As she passed her parents bedroom, she peered in through the crack, but the bed was empty_. "They must've gone down to check it"_ She thought. She heard her mother scream, and her head whipped toward the noise.  
"Please!" Julia begged.  
"Shut up!"  
Rekaiah, scared now, ran back into her bredroom and sat in the corner, back to the door beside her. Tears started to flood her face as she heard Kestlyn open the door to Trayven's room. "_I can't lose my family_." She thought, as she heard them whisper.  
"Trayven?"  
"Shh" He picked her up "We have to get Kai."  
"You!" She heard the guy shout to them from upstairs "Come here!"  
"Please" Trayven begged "Please, you can take me. Just... Just don't hurt my family."  
"Put down the girl... Put her down!"  
Trayven cautiously put Kestlyn down on the ground and raised his hands.  
"Come down here."  
Still cautious, Trayven made his way down the stairs, and once he reached the bottom, the man with the gun grabbed him by the neck of his shirt from the back, and held it to his head. Trayven took a deep breath and closed his eyes, thinking about staying strong for his little sisters and his loving parents. When he opened them, he noticed his mother and father both kneeling on the floor. He looked at them and he started to cry.  
"Get down." He pushed Trayven to the floor beside his mother.  
"Are you alright?" He asked his parents. They nodded, Julia hysterical. James confident, as always.  
"Stop talking, all of you!... Who's that little girl? At the top of the stairs?"  
"My little sister. Kestlyn."  
"Is she the one?" The redhead asked the blonde.  
"No. She's too young. It's not her."  
"Hey kid. Come down here."  
Kestlyn, crying and very afraid, made her way down the stairs  
"You want to see your family?"  
"Yes, please"  
"Kneel down over there beside your brother"  
Kestlyn ran beside Trayven, and he kissed her forehead a couple of times. "It's alright" he said "Just do as they say and we will get out of this. I promise."  
"Where is she?" The blonde looked at James  
"Who?"  
"Your daughter"  
"She's there, beside Trayven, my son"  
"NO! Idiot, I mean your other daughter, Rekaiah. Where is she?" After a moment of nothing, he pushed the gun to his temple. "_Where_ is she?"

Upstairs, Rekaiah could hear them. Trying to be brave for her family's sake, she opened the door and walked to the stairs, crying. "I'm here."  
"There you are" The blonde smiled, speaking gently as if to someone he cared for deeply. "Come down here"  
Rekaiah made her way downstairs. The blonde handed the gun to the redhead and took Rekaiah by the hand. She recognized the blonde's voice, but not his face. He was not alot taller than her, nor did he look much older.  
"Come" He pulled her and sat her down on the coffee table. She stared at her family down on the floor, and her face flooded once again.  
"Please let my family go" She pleaded, softly, sweetly. "Please just let them go. We have money. My father will give everything to you, if you just let us all go. We wont even press charges, I promise."  
"But that's not what I want." He sat on the table behind her, and pulled her hair into a tight ponytail. "Give me your hands" He gently took them from her side and tied them behind her back with a scarf. She winced at the knots when he pulled.  
"I'm sorry" He whispered in her ear, nibbling at her neck. She tilted her head to push him away. Her family watched in disgust. What was going through their minds could clearly be seen on their faces, especially Trayven and her father.  
The blonde kissed her temple. "Give me a moment, will you love?"  
His attitude, when he switched to the other side of the room, changed from sick and calm, to angry and aggresive. Yelling things at each of the four, he tied their hands behind their backs and gagged them. All of them frightened and crying now. All of them begging for each other before themselves.  
"What are you doing! Please, please stop!" Rekaiah begged, hysterically.  
The redhead looked at Rekaiah sympathetically, scared. "Say goodbye."  
"What?"  
"If you don't do it now, you'll never have the chance."  
"Do it." The blonde said "Say goodbye"  
Rikki stood up and stumbled to her father and fell to her knees. She looked around at the two boys, confused, then she looked her father in the eye and did only what they told her to do. "You're my hero, you know that? I love you so much. You have done so much for me, for this family. There is nobody like you, and I thank you so much for all that you have done. You will always be the biggest role-model in my life, and I will always be your little girl." She kissed the side of his face. "I love you."  
She moved to her mother. "Mom... You are the hardest working, bravest, smartest person I know, and I am who I am and I know what I know because of you. You're wise. You're gorgeous. You're courageous, and I know that you would give everything for this family. I think that you didn't ever get enough credit for that, so I want you to know that I appreciate all of it. I love you." She kissed her temple. "Just like the ones you give me."  
She moved to her brother. "Trayven... God. You know you are my best friend? I look up to you so much. You're the best big brother anyone could ever ask for. You're caring, and loving... Have I ever told you how talented you are? You'll make it big one day. I know it. I can see it now, Trayven Benson. Number one single of the year. Top 100 charts. Music Video awards... all of it. It will be yours. I believe in you. I always have." She looked him in the eye for a moment, sencing how scared they both were. She kissed his forehead, and they leaned their foreheads up against each other. "I love you, Tray. You're my rock. And I want you to _always_ remember that."  
He nodded his head against hers, as if to say _"I promise". _She felt his tears collide with her own against their cheeks, and she waited a moment just to study the feeling.  
Then she moved to Kestlyn, who was more scared than any of them. "Shh, hey. Kessy?" She kissed her face "Little miss graceful? Do you remember what Tray told you, about being in a scary situation? Remember how he told you that whenever you're scared you just have to close your eyes and remember what it feels like to be on stage? Do that now, close your eyes and take a deep breath. Pretend youre dancing... I think grace blessed me, when they gave me you as a little sister. Someone that I can take care of. I hope I did a good job. And when you're older, you _will_ realize that life is the ultimate inspiration. I love you so much." She kissed her face one more time, and Kestlyn rested her head against Rekaiah.  
"Back up, now." The redhead said, and Kaia could feel Kestlyn tense up in fear.  
"Why?"  
"Back up."  
"Go on" The blonde said.  
The redhead grabbed her arm and pulled her back. The blonde put the gun to James' head and Riki screamed, "What are you doing?! No, please!"  
"Why do you think we told you to say goodbye?" The redhead whispered in her ear. His voice trembled, and he sounded scared.  
Rekaiah looked at him, wide eyed, unable to stop crying. "No"  
"Yes"  
Riki turned, and the first shot went off. She watched as her father fell to the ground and blood pooled out around him. Riki screamed and started crying louder and more uncontrollably. Her family watched, trying to do the same thing, the cloths in their mouths drenched with salty tears and saliva.  
"Shut up!" The redhead yelled, now tieing a scarf around her mouth too.  
Now Riki was tied and gagged. All she could do was watch. Helplessly.  
The second shot went off, and the warm blood ran under her feet. Then the third.  
Kestlyn looked at her. Riki shook her head, as if to say, _"Don't look",_ but the blood ran under Kestlyn's knees and she looked anyway. Although she was gagged, her shrieks of fear were not hidden.  
There was a fourth gunshot, and then there was dead silence.  
Out of shock, Riki could barely cry anymore. She knew it was too late, and screams would no longer help. There was no point in fighting them. They clearly were not going to kill _her_.  
The blonde slowly went behind her and untied her arms. Letting them stay limp, they fell to her sides. He untied the scarf that covered her mouth, and she took a deep breath, grateful for oxygen. She sobbed, but did not speak.  
"I'm sorry" The blonde said. Taking away the gun and the bat, they left the room. As they were walking away, he said "I'll give you a minute"

They left her alone, sitting in the dark room of her victorian-style home. The one her father had worked hard to earn. She collapsed to the floor when the boys were out of sight, and she broke. She was cold and alone in the darkness. The only light a dim one, from the table lamp on the desk beside her. It gave off just enough to see her family's lifeless bodies, and to see the red liquid beneath them. She could feel it. The last warm thing in that fancy, welcoming room. Even the rainbow streamers from weeks before had stopped sparkling.  
She looked beside her with no choice but to preserve this image in her head: Kestlyn in a light blue silk nightgown. Trayven in his boxer shorts and a gray wifebeater. Her mother, Julia, wearing her father's pajama shirt and in her underwear. James in his red and black plaid house coat, boxer shorts and a white t-shirt. Feeling a rush of guilt, she untied their wrists from behind their backs, ungagged them, and turned all of them over. All of their eyes were still open, and they were still warm. She closed their eyes, and moved them closer to each other. "You're just sleeping. That's all. And when you wake up, all of this will have been a bad dream... a _very_ bad dream. I promise."  
When she got to Kestlyn, she pulled her up onto her lap and pushed the bloody hair out of her face. "See, Kes." She said. "When you think gracefully, the fear goes away."  
She sat for a moment, holding her baby sister. Then she placed her along with the others. She put her palm to the side of Trayvens face and kissed his forehead again. She looked over all of them, and sobbed. "I am so sorry. I'm so sorry..."  
The blonde came back inside. "Rekaiah", he said. "It's time to go"  
Rekaiah was now in a mental state where she was not totally concious of knowing what was really going on. She stood up, her tanktop and shorts covered in blood, turned off the lamp, and she followed the blonde.  
"Watch the glass" He pointed to it, but she walked over it. She felt it, but there was no pain as it cut the bottom of her feet. There was no expression on her face, and she did not talk. She was simply numb. The blonde looked at her, resentful - not for what he had done to the family, but for what he had done to Rekaiah.


	4. Numb

**June 1 2009**  
**Delaware, Ohio**

**Rekaiah's POV**

The glass underneath me only felt like tiny pebbles. Pebbles you stepped on when you walked on the beach. It didn't hurt, but I could feel the blood pooling like little tiny puddles underneath me as I stepped.  
I didn't look at him. I didn't know what he looked like, but I knew him. I recognized his voice. _But where did I know him from?_  
He led me to a car. It was dark. Blue, or black maybe. It looked like a student car. 4 doors. 1995, maybe? I don't know alot about this kind of stuff.  
"Come on" He said, taking my hand. The emotion in his voice was nearly sympathetic, but I didn't know for sure what he was thinking.  
All I wanted, was to wake up in my own bedroom the next morning and hug each and every one of my family. I wanted this to be a nightmare.A_ really bad _nightmare.  
We walked down the driveway and he opened the car door for me. I was losing my memory. _Where was I? Who were these people? Where were they taking me?_  
The boy that had killed them nearly had to push me into the car. Once I was in, he put a blindfold over my eyes and he whispered, "Everything is going to be okay, I promise". And I felt him kiss my temple.  
I didn't notice at first, but I realized soon enough that I had goosebumps. I wasn't cold, but I was shivering.  
We were in the car for maybe an hour, and then it came to a stop. The ignition turned off, and I heard a door open. The boy came around to me again, and took the blindfold off of my eyes, but it was still dark. It was late, and I was tired. I wanted to pass out, but the more wary I became, the stronger my sences grew. I could smell the blood covering nearly my entire body and it made my stomach turn. I had flashes of my brother laying in his own blood, the way my father went down, and Kestlyn's screams in the background. This brought tears to my eyes, and all I could do now was cry. Because they were gone, and nothing was bringing them back. It was over, and I had lost the only thing in my life that ever gave me hope.  
I could feel my feet now. As he opened the door, I stepped out onto the gravel, but every time my feet touched the ground, striding down from my stagger, I could feel the sting and I would scream and cry out in pain. The blonde boy then told me to hush, and he picked me up and carried me into an old cabin. It smelled like bush, and dust and dirt. Like it hadn't been cleaned for a while, but there was a bed, and I could rest.  
The numbing finally wore off, and I found my voice. "You killed them". I still hadn't found my emotion beyond the new low, nor had I found the tempo of my voice. Everything, to me, sounded the same. Tears flooded my face, and then I realized that maybe this_ was _an emotion. A type of sadness I had never felt before  
"I saved you" He said, nearly proud.  
"_Saved_ me? From what?"  
"They barred you, Rekaiah. I set you free. _Don't you see_? You can fly now. We can be together forever."  
"I don't know who you are" Confusion found its way, bubbling, not quite to the top.  
"That's impossible" He scuffed, smiling. Shocked.  
"No, I honestly have no idea who you are."  
"You don't recognize me at all?"  
"I know your voice. I don't know your face" As I said this, I realized that I was hurting him. He was an estranged phsychopath, and I was making him angry. This, I realized, could be dangerous.  
"THINK!", he shouted. His remark made me jump. "Think. You DO know me."  
I shook my head. He came closer to me. He was about 10 inches away when his eyes peirced right through mine. I looked into them, and I was stuck.  
"Think" He echoed.  
"Your eyes..." I said, whispering. "I remember your eyes" I frowned. _Where was this coming from?_ I didn't know this boy, and yet I was remembering what I didn't remember.  
"What's my name?" He asked me, grabbing my hand as if it were his charm of hope. I glanced down but was too frightened to move it. My eyes, like magnets, found their way back into his again.  
There was a short silence. "I don't know"  
His grip became firm, and I grew more afraid and started to cry again. "You're hurting me"  
"_You_ hurt _me_!" He was angry. _This guy was a mental case_.  
I screamed, and he let go. He was shaking, like you would when you have too much testosterone, or when you've taken too much morphine. Then he threw down his arms and left me alone in the dark. The boy with the red hair only sat in a chair in the corner. He didn't say a word the whole time we'd been there, and I wondered how someone who didn't want to hurt me could sit and watch while I was the symbolic allusion of an abused puppy. Then he got up and left too.  
There was one window in the cabin, just above the sink across the room, but it was small and didn't let in enough light. But it was dark outside anyway, and as soon as I lay down, I fell asleep.

It was dim light when I woke up. I assumed dawn, but I had no way of knowing the exact time. I was freezing, but I didn't move. I was still alone.  
I was laying on my side, both of my arms dead on my left beside me. I weakly pulled them to my chest, and I noticed the bruising that had formed around my wrists. I rubbed them, but they were so dark and so delicate, that they hurt to the touch. I layed them back down, and they were limp and dead again. I tried to focus on the rest of my body, and after a moment I pulled my legs up slowly. I gently used my left arm to feel the bottom of my feet, but they too felt useless and very painful. Then I remembered last night. It wasn't a nightmare like I had desperately hoped. It had actually happened, and not even six hours ago. I remembered what they had done to my family and I started to cry, silently. Devastated.  
I wondered if anyone had found them yet, or if they were still laying there. Useless. Helpless. I wondered if they were as cold as I was, and I wondered if the blood was dry yet. I wondered if I had left any footprints. Most of all, though, I wondered if anyone missed me. If anyone was looking for me. Because now that I was alone, I didn't know if there was anyone else out there waiting for me to come home. I wanted someone to cry for me. I wanted Trayven to hold me, and sing to me like he always did when I was hurt and angry and upset. I wanted my dad to hug me, and tell me how much I was growing. I wanted my mom to kiss my temple, and I wanted Kestlyn to bug me about watching her dance. Because God only knows that I would cherish those moments now. I would have thought about it before I took them for granted, but no one ever expects this to happen to them - regardless of how much they talk about it, or their job positions. But then I remembered one other thing. Three weeks ago there were six of us. And then I remembered that I did have someone else. But only one other person. Aaron Hotchner.  
He was my last hope. He was my last chance for life, and he was the only person I had left. So, I closed my eyes and I wished and I prayed with the very limited amount of strength that I had left, that he was out there looking for me. Somewhere...


	5. I Love Her

****

This chapter has _ALOT_ of mature content, so please _be_ mature while reading it. It's very serious and sad. But without this chapter, the rest of the story would be nearly useless, so it was necessary. But all other things aside, be warned! It will get better from here, _'Scout's Honour' _;)

**

* * *

**

**June 3 2009****  
****Jet Plane, headed for Delaware, Ohio**

"What do you think was going through Hotch's head today, during the breifing?" Reid asked, as he strode down the aisle with a cup of coffee in his hand, and sitting down beside Morgan and across from Emily and Rossi.  
"I don't know kid, but he's pretty shook up. I don't blame him," Morgan threw down the photos of the bloody victims on the pull-out table infront of them. "I would be too if something like this happened to someone close to me"  
"But he didn't even take into consideration that Rekaiah Benson might not even still be alive. It's been two days."  
"We don't know that yet, though", Rossi confirmed. "It depends on the type of UnSub we're dealing with here. And quite frankly, we don't know a hell of a lot."  
"Well," Emily asked, "Why would the UnSub kill the rest of the family like this, and then take the girl and kill her somewhere else? What could he possibly want from her?"  
"_Victimology_." Morgan said, sighing, as he picked up an expanded version of a school photo of Rekaiah from a few months before. "She's a pretty girl. Maybe we're dealing with a pedophile." It wasn't a question. He sounded pretty sure.  
"Alright, what else?" Emily sounded like a pre-school teacher, asking a three year old what they ate for breakfast this morning. "What can we tell from these pictures?" She then asked herself.  
"They clearly have money," Reid glanced at crime scene photos, squinting as he brought it closer to his face to 'read between the lines'... Or, as his great mentor Jason Gideon would say, 'to think outside the box'.  
Morgan was still glancing at the photo of the young girl, when Rossi found that he was really contemplating. "Did you know them?" He asked.  
Morgan took a deep breath. "It was my first year in the BAU. I had just gotten off the streets in Chicago. One of my last cases was a driveby. A little girl was shot down because her older brother owed some cash. This man walked in, looked almost like Hotch. He looked confident. I had my admiration set on this man already and I hadn't even talked to the guy. A little girl was attached to his hand. She was so happy, and was nearly prancing beside him. James came up to me and asked for Hotchner, I told him where he was and he asked me to watch his daughter for a moment while he spoke to him. I said sure, I'd be happy to... And this little girl, she was about 7, 8 maybe at the time. She was so comfortable around me, and all of the doubts that I had in my mind about the girl I _couldn't_ save disappeared after I talked to Rekaiah, because she reminded me that even when one is lost, another one is saved. She was so smart, and the most precious thing..." Morgan noticed the team staring at him in awe as he told the story, and he realized that he was trailing from the profile. "Yes, I met her, and James. Once." The rest of the team smiled a little. Morgan smirked.

Maybe it was because Rekaiah Benson's father was country-famous that she was too, and that could have been why, but for some weird reason, all four profilers on the plane that day felt some kind of odd affection for this girl. _Was _it because she was well known? Or was it because she had lost every person in her life, and the only one left wasn't coming to see her, and they felt sympathy? All they knew, was that the famous family from Delaware, Ohio was no more, and the only thing left was a broken girl. She would not be the same person she was three weeks ago, the same Rekaiah Benson that Aaron Hotchner remembered. The one he had bought the necklace for. Nor would she be the bubbly, colourful little girl that Morgan had sat on his lap and drew butterflies and rainbows with 7 years ago. No. Rekaiah Benson was traumatized, and never in her life would she ever be a child again...

**June 3 2009****  
****Delaware, Ohio**

"Rise and shine, Cherryblossom", The blonde said, bursting into the room with a platter of food. It made Rekaiah jump, but the only part of her body that wasn't sore was her head. Therefore, the only part of her body that she was willing to move.  
"Who are you?" She asked, quietly. Tired. The blonde only smiled  
"I hope you like Fruitloops." He brought the tray over to the bed, and Rekaiah forced herself to sit up. She pushed with her hands, but her wrists were so sore that they gave out. She realized then that her hands would be nearly useless for awhile. So she used her arms, and that took a bit of the pressure off of them.  
When she was finally up and propped against the metal bars at the head of the bed, he looked her in the eyes and smiled a little. He placed the food filled tray on the bed beside her, and looked down at her wrists. "Oh," He said, almost sulking. "I'm sorry". He smiled, and kissed the blue bruises on her wrists.  
Rekaiah frowned. "_What the hell is going on here_?" She thought. She broke the akwardness. "Do you have the time?"  
"It's just after ten. You have to eat. We don't have much food here. Don't let it go to waste" He kissed her forehead, then he left her alone to marinate in her own confusion.  
The redhead was waiting outside the door. He was losing it. He was so afraid of everything that they did that night that he didn't know how long he could hang on for. "This is wrong, John", he said. "We have to take her back. We have to take her back, John, we can't keep her here..." He was interrupted with a slap in the face.  
"Knock it off! Gavin, she loves me. I know it. And_ tonight_... tonight is our night, bro."  
"What are you talking about?"  
"We're going to brand our love" He laughed as if it were some kind of joke.  
"No, man. No, that's sick, bro. You can't go down with that"  
The smile on John's face dropped. "She's _my _girl. I can do whatever the hell I want with her. _Tonight_, is _our _night."  
Rekaiah came through the door just then, and startled the boys who were not quite through with their conversation. "I have to pee", She said, sincerely.  
"Alright" John nodded, smiling a little.  
"I can't walk through that."  
"I'll take her" Gavin offered, hoping to get a moment with her to tell her what was going on.  
"No, you _wont_. I will." John glared at him. He knew. He picked Riki up, and carried her through the woods away from Gavin, somewhere that she could urinate in private.  
"This is fine" She said. "You can put me down here". John did, and stepped behind a big tree. He listened, just to make sure she wasn't going to run anywhere, though he was very confident that she wasn't, considering the fact that he just had to carry her twenty feet into the forrest so she could take a leak.  
"I'm done" She said after a moment. John went back around and picked her up agian. He carried her back into the cabin, and put her back down on the bed. He left her once again, this time without saying a word, and as Rekaiah was alone she studied the cabin, trying to make the best photograph in her head as she could. She didn't know if she was ever going to get out of there, but it didn't matter. And on the other hand, she had nothing better to do.  
The cabin was made of wood, but it was old and rotting. The sink on the other side of the room didn't work, so there was clearly no plumbing. The refrigerator and freezer smelled of mold, so obviously there was no electricity, either. No lights. No nothing. Just her, an old bed from the '90's, and a cold, damp, empty room. Lifeless. It kind of reminded her of a few things that hadn't quite entirely sunk in yet. When she looked down, she noticed small, dried, bloody footprints below her. She looked at them for a moment, then put her left foot on top of one of them. Perfect match.  
"_I must have tried to walk_" She thought to herself. Feeling useless, she then layed down again and stared blankly into the roof. Nothing in her mind at all.

Later that night, at dark, John was ready. Rekaiah was asleep in the bed and John had no sence of hesitation at all. He was about to go in when Gavin jumped infront of the door. It was like he came from out of nowhere, and he made John jump.  
"Holy mother of SHIT!" John yelled in a whisper. "What the hell is the matter with you?"  
"I can't let you do it, John. No way, man."  
"I _love_ her."  
"No you don't. You don't love her, John."  
"_Yes, I do_."  
"Then save it... I mean, look at her, bro. She's just a kid. She's only fifteen, man. Don't do this to her. Not now... We just killed her family, she's in the middle of a crisis!"  
"I know._ I _was the one who took her away from them. She's happy now, Gavin. Look at her" John peered into the window. "She's like an angel. She's so precious when she sleeps."  
"Please man. I'm begging you, don't do it." Gavin had tears in his eyes. John noticed them and scowled at him.  
"Get out of my way, Gavin. Quit being such a pansy." He pushed him out of the way, and the force from his arm sent Gavin stumbling to the side. He didn't fall, but instead he sat. Afraid.  
John went inside. He took a rope hanging from the cupboard door and a knife from the drawer and cut it into four peices. He went to Rekaiah, and while she was still asleep he gently tied her hands to the bedposts. She woke up when he pulled while tieing her right wrist.  
"What are you doing?" She hesitated  
"Shh, it's alright, sweetheart. Lay still now. Everything will be alright."  
"No. No, no, no" She started to fight, gently at first, prying on his jacket sleeves and neckline. "Please, no. Please..."  
"Shh" He said. She started to fight harder. He knew that she wasn't going to give up now, and he had no choice but to become aggresive.  
"Let me go!" She screamed. "Let me go! Please, no!" She started to kick her legs, and John grabbed them and tried his best to tie them still.  
"I knew you were going to try and fight" He clenched his teeth and spoke through them. His jaw tightened, and Rekaiah recognized this as a sign of aggresion, even through her hysterics. The tears drowned her face, and as she fought and pulled, she could feel the blood from her bruised wrists dripping down her arms. He threw one leg over her, and undid the zipper on his pants, then he stripped her down too. She could feel him rip her open, and now the blood dripping down her arms matched the path of the blood streaming down her legs. It hurt a lot more than it bled. She could feel him inside of her, and the pain from her limbs and the pain from him would not stop. She tried to move. She tried to sway, and flail, and do anything she could to get him off of her, but no matter what she did she just couldn't. He was too heavy, and she was in too much pain. Once again, all she could do was cry. Litterally.

An hour had passed, and he was finally worn out. He was huffing as he got off of her. She felt that too. She still stared straight into the roof. Still crying. Nothing else. There were no thoughts in her mind at all, only that she was bleeding, and that she felt pain. Emotionally, and physically. That was all.  
He did up his pants, and still gasping for air, untied her ankles and her wrists. The blood that had run down her arms was dry now, but there were still abbrasions on her wrists. _Of course there was_.  
"Wow" He said, smiling.  
No response.  
"You really are worth all that you are" His smile grew bigger. The tears on Riki's face fell harder. He redressed her, and after another moment of nothing, he left again.  
As soon as Rekaiah had thought the numbing had worn off, it had only gotten worse.

The redheaded boy was sitting outside in the chilly night on an old stump. He had been crying too.  
"What's your problem?" The blonde boy asked, as if nothing had happened at all.  
"_What's my __**problem**_?" Gavin asked in a snarl.  
"Yeah" _Sarcastic remark_.  
"Did you not hear her screaming for bloody hell in there? _**Shit**_, she was _underneath_ you. But you know, you were probably too busy enjoying yourself to notice her at all"  
"Shut up, pansy" He said.  
Gavin jumped up and stormed inside. Rekaiah was laying lifeless on the bloodstained bed. There was no emotion on her face at all, except that her face and hair were wet with tears.  
"Hey" He tried to comfort her. "Look, I know that you probably hate me right now. But you have to understand that I tried to..."  
"_Tried_?" Weak. Expressionless. It was like John had sucked every single trace of emotion from her body.  
"What?"  
"You _tried?_" She still didn't move. The voice sounded as if it were coming from out of nowhere.  
"I tried to stop him, Rekaiah. I really did."  
"Just like you tried to stop him from killing my family?"  
"Rekaiah..."  
"Shoving a hankerchief down my throat and telling me to say goodbye is your idea of _trying_ to stop him?... Please leave me alone. I want to be alone"  
"I'm truly sorry, Rekaiah" He said, sympathetically. Then he turned around and sadly walked out the door.  
Again, Rekaiah was left to fend for herself. All she wanted was for someone to hold her, someone to find her and hug her and kiss her and ask her if she was alright. She wanted to have a nice hot shower then wake up tomorrow morning and start all over again, with her family... Her _lost_ family.


	6. The Profile

**June 3 2009**

**Delaware, Ohio**

**Delaware PD**

It was close to midnight and the team had nothing to work with. JJ was on her seventh cup of coffee and counting, Morgan was munching on doughnuts with Ried on victimology who was dropping cookie crumbs all over the photos, and Rossi and Emily were also sipping coffee trying to build a profile. But it was tough, and there was very little.

"Any luck with victimology?" Emily asked Morgan, sleepily.

"Nothing. Man, we've had some tough cases but nothing in this profile tells us much about the UnSub."

"We know that he was probably obsessed with Rekaiah" Reid stated

"How do you know?" Emily asked

"It explains why he killed the family and took her. He probably felt impotent around the family, so in order to feel that he had some sence of power, he killed them"

"In this picture there are five sets of ropes and scarves. So we know that he probably tied and gagged her too."

"Why then, would he kill the family and make her watch?" Emily asked, again

"Maybe the UnSub felt that she wanted to be taken away." Suggested Reid.

"What does that tell us about the UnSub?" Morgan asked

"Well, we know that he's self-concious around the parents. Why? We have yet to find out. He has a sence of impotence. He obviously knows that Rekaiah would fight back or try to run, otherwise he probably wouldn't have tied her up"

Just then, JJ's phone rang. She answered it. "JJ"

"JJ, it's Hotch. Have you found anything yet?" Aaron sounded weak, sad. Depressed almost. JJ senced that, and she spoke sympathetically.

"There weren't any hits in AMBER. Nobody has come forward with tips."

"Thankyou, JJ"

"You're welcome, sir..." JJ waited for him to hang up, but she didn't hear it. "Sir?"

"Yeah?"

"Do you think you could tell us everything you know about Rekaiah? It might help us build something to work with, here"

"I will tell you everything I know."

JJ moved into the next room and closed the door. She sat down in a chair pushed up to a table, she took out her notepad and a pen from the breast pocket in her jacket, and started asking Aaron questions, writing down the importance of the answers he gave in return. "You said during the breifing that she is small and vulnerable?"

"She's 4'10 and 109 pounds. She was born premature."

"How premature?"

"Three months"

"Does she have any health issues? Anything that we should be aware of?"

"Shes allergic to cranberries."

"How allergic?"

"Deathly"

"Anything else?"

"Um..." On the other line, Aaron was sitting at his kitchen table at home. He rubbed the bridge of his nose with his free hand as he was thinking. "I bought her a gold necklace for her birthday"

JJ started to look through the box with evidence in it. There were a few bags of jewelry, none of them a gold necklace. "We dont have it"

"That means shes probably still wearing it"

"Aaron, I need more"

"JJ. Just know, she used to be such a happy girl. She was perky and bubbly... When you find her, she isnt going to be the same."

"I know."

**June 3 2009**

**Cabin**

**Delaware, Ohio**

**Rekaiah's POV**

I was alone once again. I didn't know where the boys were, but I was tired of my weakness. The redhead had just apologized to me, and I was angry. I waited until I could no longer see their shadows or hear them whispering outside, and I sat up. It took all of my weight to push myself up, and I wanted to yell out in pain, but I clenched my teeth and let the tears take their part. They were quiet, I would not be heard. I pulled my legs closer to my body, and started to pull out the pieces of glass that were still wedged underneath my skin in the bottom of my feet. It hurt like hell, and the little peices were hard to get. They started to bleed, and after counting sixteen peices total, they were drenched in the red liquid. The tears fell from my eyes mixing in with it, and with every drop was a little bit of a sting. I could hardly see beneath the blur. I took a moment to breathe the shock away, and I tried to walk. I hadn't walked in nearly two days, and I wondered if I'd still know how to. My feet tapped the old wooden floor, and I stumbled to the counter ten feet away. As I walked I bit my bottom lip, hoping for some kind of strength. Then I tasted blood. That's when I realized that it _did_ actually hurt more than I thought. I opened a drawer and found an old steak knife. It was dull, but it would work. I looked around and noticed that the boy who had raped me left his t-shirt on the floor by the bed. I stumbled back and picked it up. I sat on the bed and took the pressure off of my feet, and started cutting the t-shirt into strips. I tied them around my feet to stop the bleeding - Something Aaron had taught me to do a long time back. Then I hid the knife under the mattress and layed down to rest. I thought about what I needed to do without making it seem too unstealthy, and fell asleep. My plans would play out tomorrow.

**June 4 2009**

I woke up early that morning. It was sunny, and I felt the warmth stream onto my skin from the tiny window on the other side of the room. I heard the car start up outside, and with the stipped t-shirt still tied around my feet, I ran to the door and looked outside. The redheaded boy was in the car driving away. I smiled a little. _This was good_. I heard twigs breaking on the other side of me, and the blonde hair scared me as I turned around. He was standing there too.

"He's just going to get some food" He said. He was sort of snotty now. I frowned at his confusing personality. "We need firewood. I'm going to get some."

I played along. "You're just going to leave me here?"

"You want to come?" Still, he wasn't very nice

"Not if you're going to be an ass." He grabbed my hair. I winced.

"Don't you mouth me!... Stay here. I'll be back in an hour." He left, and I stayed in the doorway watching him. When he was finally out of sight I snuck away. I didn't know where I was going, but I had to get out of there.

**Delaware PD**

**Delaware, Ohio**

It was time for a profile. Thanks to JJ, the team had something bigger to work with.

Morgan started, speaking to the entire PD. "We suspect that there's more than one UnSub"

"How do you know?" One female cop asked

"Because there were five sets of bound and gag tools on the floor. Considering the fact that they made Rekaiah Benson, the oldest daughter watch, one UnSub wouldn't be able to control the four that he was going to murder, plus the girl at once. They all would have fought back, and he knew that." Reid answered.

Morgan continued. "They are both caucasion males, between the ages of seventeen and twenty-one."

"One of them," Rossi started, "Is the dominant one. He likes to be the boss. He does the dirty work, and he's probably the older one. The younger one, on the other hand, is quiet, awkward and impotent. If he were to go out in public, he'd be shy and alienate himself from the rest of the group. You probably wouldn't even notice him. He wouldn't stand out."

It was Emily's turn. "The dominant one, by taking a small, vulnerable girl, feels that he has a sence of power. However, he is not as smart _or_ as powerful as he thinks he is. He also probably has an estranged personality. His mood changes complexly, and therefore we determine that he has stong sexual _and_ emotional feelings for Rekaiah."

"In this timeframe, we suspect that he _has already _had sexual or intimate intercourse with her" Rossi stated, sincerely.

"By killing the family, he felt _even more _power. With the rest of the family around he felt threatened and insecure. Because of their wealth, he felt self-concious around them. Rekaiah was probably a saviour to him." Morgan said.

Just then, JJ came into the room. "Sorry to interupt." She said. "We have a problem."

The team followed JJ into a small conference room and she turned on the tv. The news reporter spoke. "We have just recieved information from an anonymous subject that the very well known lawyer, Jamison Benson has been found murdered in his Victorian Delaware home two days ago, along with his wife and two of his children. We have been informed that his oldest daughter, Rekaiah Benson, is missing. There has _not _been any tips on _where _she is, or _who_ has her, but wherever she may be, we are all sending our prayers. Come home soon Rekaiah. We will be waiting, and we miss you..."

Emily seemed almost offended at the last statement. "_Jesus_. When _I_ was 15, _I_ never got this kind of attention. _Hell_, I didn't even get prayers."

"James Benson has done alot for this country" Rossi replied. "He's worshipped here."

"Rekaiah Benson is also well known herself. She was never really protected from the whole media thing" Reid stated. "I've seen her on television since the day she was born. Which is funny, because neither one of her siblings had the same kind of attention"

"You think she was favoured?" Morgan asked

"By her parents? No. I think she was favoured by the citizens of the state."


	7. Escaping Recognition

**June 4 2009**

**Delaware, Ohio**

**Rekaiah's POV**

I ran as fast as I could through the woods. I heard the twigs breaking underneath me, and I felt it too. My feet were healing, because they didn't hurt as bad as before, but they still killed. But I couldn't stop running. And I made sure that I was running in the opposite direction than the blonde boy. I ran until I reached a highway. _Finally, a road!_

I was weak still, and I fell to my knees. The cold pavement felt good on my bare skin. I was still covered in blood, but I couldn't smell it anymore. It was too dry. It was _old_ blood. It was _their_ blood. I lifted myself up from my knees to sit on the ground. Then it kicked in - I was away from them. _That_ was good at least. They couldn't hurt me anymore. But the people in my life that I would be running to - _They_ were gone. There was no one left at home for me. Then I looked at the sky, and realized that I was _really_ alone. I couldn't believe it, but I had to cope with it. So, I got up and started walking once again. Cars passed me, and I found it nearly unbelievable that they could see someone walking on the side of the street covered in blood, and not stop to just ask them if they were okay. Especially _me_. I mean, I'm _Rekaiah_ _Benson_. I'm the daughter of the famous lawyer. _Weren't they looking for me? Did they even recognize me? _I started to cry again. I was dizzy. My stomach growled and it hurt. I was thirsty, and my mouth was dry. I was _extremely_ fatigued, even though I'd slept. I felt guilty for that. _How could I sleep when something like this has happened? _Then I thought back and realized that the last time I had eaten was two days ago. The last time I had water was last night, and it was only a tiny glass. I guess this is why that redhead was going to buy groceries.

I had been walking for at least two hours, and I came close to a hospital. I could hear sirens from ambulances, and if I listened _very, very _closely, I could _almost_ hear the paranoid yelling of the doctors and nurses in the Emergency Room. When I got there, I walked in quietly. I wasn't stumbing anymore, but I was confused. I didn't know why. I went up to the receptionist, and she spoke before I could. My guess is that someone _finally_ noticed that I didn't look healthy.

"Oh my god! Sweetheart, are you alright?" She was sweet, but then she started yelling. "Doctor! I need a doctor over here!" She turned back to me again. "Honey, can you tell me your name?" I frowned, and she pushed my hair back. There was a short pause, and she looked suddenly sympathetic. "Oh my god" She whispered. "Rekaiah?" I didn't say anything. "Sweetheart," She continued. "Stay here, alright?" She left me.

Just then a male doctor came around the corner and she started speaking to him. He looked shocked, almost. I looked around me at all of the people. Every glimpse of blood made my stomach turn, and every time I saw a person laying in a bed made me think of them. I had instant flashbacks. I felt scared, and then I fell to the ground.

**Hospital**

**Delaware, Ohio**

The nurse left the confused and frightened Rekaiah alone for a moment to talk to one of the best doctors in the hospital.

"Doctor Morino!" She called. "Doctor Morino, I think we have a majour patient here. Are you busy?"

"Not at this moment. What's wrong?"

"Rekaiah Benson"

"What?"

"That girl, over there. That's Rekaiah Benson, I swear to you Justin"

As the doctor looked at the exhausted Rekaiah, she fell to the ground. He ran to her and pulled out his pocket light and shone it in her eyes. "She'll be alright" He said. "She's dehydrated, and litterally exhausted... We need a stretcher! Get me a stretcher!" He yelled.

When a stretcher arrived, they rolled Rekaiah away into a room and placed her on a bed. She woke up soon after to see the Hispanic Doctor Morino standing at the end of her bed with a chart. He looked up to see her watching him.

"Hey there. Don't worry, you'll be just fine... Rekaiah, my name is Doctor Morino. Do you know where you are?"

"A hospital."

"_Good_. Do you know which one?"

"Saint Josephs."

"_Good_. Can you tell me your birthday?"

"May 9th, 1993"

"_Good_. Can you tell me today's date?"

"Uh... I don't know"

"Okay... Rekaiah, do you know what happened?"

"Which part?"

"_Alright_, I'm going to take that as a _yes_. Listen, the police department here has been looking for you for three days. They even brought in out of state federal agents. _Now_, the receptionist has called them, and they are going to come and see you, _okay_?"

She nodded, and the doctor continued

"_Now_, before they get here, we have to run some tests."

"What kind of tests?"

"_Well_, we have to take some blood tests to determine what vitamins you're missing in your system. We have to take a urine sample, and we need to make a rape kit"

She started to tear up, and the doctor knew that something in his statement made her remember something.

"Do you have any questions? Anything you want to tell me before we start?"

"I can tell you that I haven't eaten anything in two days. The last drink of water I had was last night, but not enough to hydrate me... The urine sample, you want to see if I'm pregnant. And I can tell you that I was raped last night. Take a test if you want to, I haven't had a shower in a week."

"Rekaiah, I _know_ that this is hard for you, but I _promise_ that as long as you co-opperate, everything will get better. You're going to be just fine..." He handed her a nightgown. "_Now_, put this on. We'll start the tests as soon as you're ready, and then we'll set you up in a shower, okay?" Then he got up, and left with a sympathetic look on his face. He smiled at her, hoping that it gave her some sence of comfort. He waited a moment, then she spoke.

"You say that everything will get better, but you _know_ what happened to my family. I can see on your face that you aren't convincing yourself either. You _know_ that I may get better physically, but everything I've seen, they've left scars. And you _know_ that's something that I am never going to forget."

There was another short pause as Doctor Mornio soaked in the comeback that Rekaiah came up with. Then he spoke quietly. "_Please_, get dressed Rekaiah."


End file.
